Batteries are often stored before being used. Batteries are typically stored by retailers before being sold. After purchase by a consumer, such batteries are again typically stored for some period of time prior to use. If the period of storage is significant, batteries may self-discharge. Therefore, it is desirable to utilize a battery tester to determine if a battery has sufficient charge to operate a desired device.
It is also desirable, on frequent occasions, to determine the remaining life of batteries which are in use. Many "good" batteries are discarded simply because the user cannot recall how long they have been used in a particular device, i.e., a camera, tape deck, etc. For similar reasons, batteries often reach a useless or near useless state of discharge when no replacements are readily available. Separate or stand-alone battery testers are known which indicate remaining battery power. However, such testers are easily misplaced and cumbersome to use.
Battery testers have been described that are included in a label secured to a battery. However, such battery testers are intricate and difficult to manufacture, particularly at high rates necessary for large volume production. Thus, there is a need for a battery tester label having a minimal number of components and a process which can be employed in high rate commercial manufacturing operations.
Previously described battery tester labels, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,895 to Cataldi et al., require a complex arrangement of the conductive layer and additional conductors to electrically connect and disconnect the layer to and from the battery. Such intricate assemblies are susceptible to numerous problems during assembly and are costly in view of the additional conductive components necessary which must be formed and incorporated into the assembly. Thus, there is a need for a battery tester label which does not require numerous electrically conductive components to connect and disconnect the tester to the battery, and which can be easily and inexpensively manufactured.
In many large-scale manufacturing operations, it is desirable to utilize preassembled components. Such practice minimizes process complexity and as a result often reduces manufacturing downtime. Therefore, it is also desirable to provide a process for forming a battery tester label in which one or more subcomponents of the label assembly can be manufactured, stored and later readily assembled into a tester label. In particular, it is desirable to provide a process for forming a plurality of battery testers which can be easily stored or applied to batteries. The present invention process and resulting assembly, as described and claimed herein, achieve all of the foregoing objectives.